Emma Watson nude photo controversy a hoax

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (L ) looks at United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,while they pose for a picture while they attend the HeForShe campaign launch at the United Nations on September 20, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (L) and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pose for a photo September 20, 2014 at the United Nations in New York. The two were on hand to the Launch of the HeForShe Campaign. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. Clary (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

British Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson arrives to the presentation of the UN Womens HeForShe campaign to Non Governmental Organizations at the Uruguay's Parliament in Montevideo on September 17, 2014. The UN project intends to mobilize one billion men and boys as advocates and agents of change in ending the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. The premise is that inequality is a human rights issue, the resolution of which will benefit everyone socially, politically and economically.
AFP PHOTO/ Miguel ROJO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ROJO/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED SATES - SEPTEMBER 20: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka head of UN Women (L), President-elect of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (2nd L), UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (3th L), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (3th R), his wife Soon-taek Madam Yoo Ban (2nd R) and actor Kiefer Sutherland (R) attend the ''HeForShe'' United Nations campaign at the Peninsula Hotel in New York, United States on September 20, 2014. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED SATES - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (center) speaks during the ''HeForShe'' United Nations campaign meeting in New York, United States on September 20, 2014. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pose for a picture while they attend the HeForShe campaign launch at the United Nations on September 20, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (C ) speaks with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon while they attend the HeForShe campaign launch at the United Nations on September 20, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (R) and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pose for a photo September 20, 2014 at the United Nations in New York. The two were on hand to the Launch of the HeForShe Campaign. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. Clary (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, UNITED SATES - SEPTEMBER 20: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka head of UN Women (L), President-elect of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (2nd L), UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (3th L), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (3th R), his wife Soon-taek Madam Yoo Ban (2nd R) and actor Kiefer Sutherland (R) attend the ''HeForShe'' United Nations campaign at the Peninsula Hotel in New York, United States on September 20, 2014. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (C ) attends the HeForShe campaign launch at the United Nations on September 20, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (C-Left ) walks next to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, while they attend the HeForShe campaign launch at the United Nations on September 20, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (L) and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pose for a photo September 20, 2014 at the United Nations in New York. The two were on hand to the Launch of the HeForShe Campaign. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. Clary (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (C ) attends the HeForShe campaign launch at the United Nations on September 20, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

(L-R) UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Madam Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, and actor Kiefer Sutherland pose for a photo September 20, 2014 at the United Nations in New York. The group gathered to the Launch of the HeForShe Campaign. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. Clary (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

British Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (C) speaks next to Uruguay's Vice President Danilo Astori (L) and the Director of the UN Women Programme Division Gulden Turkoz-Cosslett (R) during the presentation of the UN Womens HeForShe campaign to Non Governmental Organizations at the Uruguay's Parliament in Montevideo on September 17, 2014. The UN project intends to mobilize one billion men and boys as advocates and agents of change in ending the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. The premise is that inequality is a human rights issue, the resolution of which will benefit everyone socially, politically and economically.
AFP PHOTO/ Miguel ROJO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ROJO/AFP/Getty Images)

British Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson attends the presentation of the UN Womens HeForShe campaign to Non Governmental Organizations, at the Uruguay's Parliament in Montevideo on September 17, 2014. The UN project intends to mobilize one billion men and boys as advocates and agents of change in ending the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. The premise is that inequality is a human rights issue, the resolution of which will benefit everyone socially, politically and economically.
AFP PHOTO/ Miguel ROJO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ROJO/AFP/Getty Images)

British Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (R) speaks with Uruguay's Vice President Danilo Astori during the presentation of the UN Womens HeForShe campaign to Non Governmental Organizations at the Uruguay's Parliament in Montevideo on September 17, 2014. The UN project intends to mobilize one billion men and boys as advocates and agents of change in ending the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. The premise is that inequality is a human rights issue, the resolution of which will benefit everyone socially, politically and economically.
AFP PHOTO/ Miguel ROJO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ROJO/AFP/Getty Images)

British Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson (L) speaks, next to an unidentified translator, during the presentation of the UN Womens HeForShe campaign to Non Governmental Organizations at the Uruguay's Parliament in Montevideo on September 17, 2014. The UN project intends to mobilize one billion men and boys as advocates and agents of change in ending the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. The premise is that inequality is a human rights issue, the resolution of which will benefit everyone socially, politically and economically.
AFP PHOTO/ Miguel ROJO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL ROJO/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 03: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Emma Watson attends the GQ Men of the Year awards at The Royal Opera House on September 3, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 03: Emma Watson attends the GQ Men of the Year awards at The Royal Opera House on September 3, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

THE OSCARS(r) - RED CARPET ARRIVALS - The Academy Awards(r) for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, MARCH 2 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET/5:00-8:00 p.m., PT), at the Dolby Theatre(r) at Hollywood & Highland Center(r) and televised live on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Rick Rowell/ABC via Getty Images)
EMMA WATSON

On Saturday, actress Emma Watson delivered a stirring speech in front of the United Nations advocating her #HeforShe campaign calling for men to take an active role in feminist politics. The speech quickly went viral and, for the most part, was met with widespread acclaim.

Members of the online forum 4chan were allegedly none too pleased.

Railing against what they call "Social Justice Warriors," a group of 4chan users were reported to have conspired to leak nude photos of Watson in retaliation to her speech. The controversy brought 4chan's torrid history with sexism back to the fore just weeks after the largest leak of celebrity nude photos was discovered on the 4chan forums.

A website titled EmmaYouAreNext.com emerged with a countdown ticker ending this weekend when, presumably, the photos would be leaked.

Early Wednesday morning, EmmaYouAreNext no longer displayed the countdown to the scheduled leak. Instead, it pointed users to the homepage of Rantic, which according to its website, is a "social media marketing enterprise that has participated in some of the most viral campaigns and music videos."

The company appears to take issue with 4chan's proliferation of celebrity nude photos. On the Rantic homepage an open letter to President Obama is featured in which they call for the elimination of 4chan as a whole.

" We have been hired by celebrity publicists to bring this disgusting issue to attention. The recent 4chan celebrity nude leaks in past 2 months have been an invasion of privacy and is also clear indication that the internet NEEDS to be censored. Every Facebook like, share & Twitter mention will count as a social signature -- and will be one step closer to shutting down www.4chan.org. "

Rantic's campaign goes further: the company's Twitter account, only active for about a week, is almost exclusively dedicated to the cause of shutting down 4chan. The group's first tweet is somewhat ominous, too.